About Kids & Us
Kids & Us is committed to providing high quality licensed childcare and EarlyON programs in locations conveniently located in many communities in South Grey Bruce. We believe that all children are competent and capable and thus should be given opportunities to grow and develop in safe, warm and caring environments. We believe that families are the first and most important teachers in a child’s life, and strive to support the family and the child throughout their individual early learning journey.
All of our child care centres are licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Education and are regulated by the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA). Kids & Us is proud to be a participant of the Canada Wide Early Learning and Childcare Agreement established in 2022. Our programs follow the “How Does Learning Happen?” framework. Most of our centres are located in local elementary schools, helping the children with their transition to school while increasing the convenience for parents. While each centre is distinct, they all offer large playgrounds in a setting that is bright, welcoming and warm. All meals and snacks are prepared according to the Canadian Food Guide. Centres are open Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm, year round, with some exceptions. We are closed on all statutory holidays, Easter Monday and for those days between Christmas and New Year’s.
Kids & Us is committed to ensuring equal access and participation for people with disabilities. We are committed to treating people with disabilities in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and we are committed to meeting the needs of the people with disabilities in a timely manner. We will do so by removing and preventing barriers to accessibility and meeting our accessibility requirements under the AODA and Ontario’s accessibility laws.
Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation Policy
Accessibility Compliance Report
Our Staff
Most of the full time program staff are either Early Childhood Educators registered with the College of Early Childhood Educators, Ministry of Education Approved as equivalent to an RECE or Otherwise Approved by the Ministry of Education. The Otherwise Approved staff will be enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Diploma program as a condition of their employment. We proudly support the Child Development Practitioner (CDP) Apprenticeship Program and mentor students studying in the field.
Cooks providing snacks and lunches to our programs all are Food Handler Certified, and provide nutritious and delicious snacks and lunches based on menus planned from the Canada’s Food Guide.
Our Board of Directors
Kids & Us is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of parents who use our services and community members. The Board provides leadership and guidance to the agency. The Board meets for nine meetings a year on the fourth Monday of the month. If you are interested in becoming a Board Member, please contact the Executive Director at (519) 986-3692 Ext. 23 for more information.
President:
Dane Nielsen
Vice President:
Kristen Bryan
Secretary:
Amanda Kokas
Executive Director:
Michelle Knott
Directors:
Jessica Weber
Michelle Brown
Lisa Hatten
Kelsey Bowers
Krista Blenkhorn McFadden
Katelyn Duggan